Reprint  from  Vocational  Education,  March,  1914; 


THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  STATE  AID  FOR 
VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION 

REPORT  OF  A  SERIES  OF  CONFERENCES  OF  STATE  OFFICIALS  HELD 
UNDER  THE  AUSPICES  OF  THE  NATIONAL  SOCIETY  FOR  THE 
PROMOTION  OF  INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION. 

William  T.  Bawden. 

Managing  Editor  of  Vocational  Education. 

THE  movement  for  vocational  education  seems  to  have  passed  thru  a 
period  in  which  the  chief  concern  has  been  the  securing  of  desired 
legislation.  A  great  deal  of  effort*  has  been  directed  toward  in¬ 
fluencing  the  Congress  at  Washington,  the  state  legislatures  in  the  several 
states,  and  boards  of  education  and  other  agencies  in  numerous  cities,  with 
the  result  of  securing,  not  all  the  legislation  that  has  been  sought,  but 
sufficient  to  afford  ample  opportunity  for  the  organization  of  a  con¬ 
siderable  variety  of  schools,  and  for  perhaps  all  the  experimentation  that 
the  country  is  at  present  prepared  to  conduct  and  supervise  adequately. 

Consequently  the  authorities  in  various  states  and  cities  are  now 
face  to  face  with  real  problems  of  organization  and  administration,  as 
distinguished  from  those  of  planning  and  projecting  on  paper  for  the 
purpose  of  influencing  public  opinion  or  convincing  legislators. 

Legislation  in  seven  states  has  created  groups  of  officials  charged 
with  the  duty  of  interpreting  and  administering  a  body  of  laws  dealing 
with  vocational  education,  and  without  question  a  number  of  other  states 
will  follow  with  similar  legislation  during  the  next  two  or  three  years. 
Wisconsin  is  working  on  a  plan  which  provides  control  of  industrial 
schools  or  departments  by  boards  which  are  nominally  separate  from  the 
existing  boards  of  education  but  which  evidently  contemplates  close  co¬ 
operation  between  existing  school  boards  and  the  special  boards.  Con¬ 
necticut  has  adopted  a  plan  by  which  the  special  schools  may  be  organized 
and  supported  by  the  state  independently  of  local  initiative  or  control ;  or 
schools  may  be  organized  and  supported  by  local  initiative,  assisted  by 
state  grants.  These  two  plans  have  certain  other  features  in  common 
with  those  of  other  states,  but  in  the  respects  mentioned  they  are  unique 
among  the  schemes  which  have  been  enacted  into  legislation. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  five  states  in  which  the  legislation  has 
been  passed  on  substantially  the  same  underlying  principles,  so  that  there 
is  considerable  uniformity  in  the  provisions  of  the  laws,  and  opportunity 
for  cooperation  between  those  charged  with  the  duties  of  administration. 
These  five  states  are:  Massachusetts,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  and  Indiana. 


2 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION 


Foreseeing  the  possibility  and  desirability  of  cooperation  and  mutual 
understanding  among  the  officials  in  all  of  the  states  dealing  with  these 
problems,  the  National  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Industrial  Educa¬ 
tion,  thru  its  secretary,  Charles  A.  Prosser,  has  been  conducting  a  series 
of  conferences  of  the  officials  from  these  states  for  the  purpose  of  making 
an  intensive  study  of  the  provisions  of  the  laws  and  of  the  problems  of 
appropriate  interpretation  and  effective  administration.  The  first  of 
these  conferences  was  held  in  May,  1913,  at  the  Goodhue  estate  of  the 
Children’s  Aid  Society,  Staten  Island,  N.  Y. ;  the  second  was  held  in 
connection  with  the  annual  convention  of  the  National  Society  at  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan,  in  October,  1913;  the  third,  and  most  largely  attend¬ 
ed  conference  was  held  at  Staten  Island  December  12  and  13th,  1913. 

At  this  last  conference  there  were  33  men  present  representing  ten 
states  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada.  The  states  represented  included 
New  York,  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania,  Indiana,  Connecticut,  New 
Jersey,  Wisconsin,  Rhode  Island,  Missouri,  and  Illinois. 

COMMITTEE  ON  NOMENCLATURE. 

One  of  the  important  questions  which  has  been  before  the  confer¬ 
ence  is  the  formulation  of  definitions  of  the  important  words  and  phrases 
that  have  come  into  widespread  use  in  connection  with  the  movement  for 
vocational  education.  A  committee  which  has  been  at  work  upon  this 
problem  for  some  time  presented  a  preliminary  report.  The  conference 
decided,  however,  that  it  is  not  yet  ready  to  announce  conclusions 
reached,  but  directed  the  committee  to  continue  its  work  and  report  at 
a  later  meeting.  Two  definitions  were  tentatively  agreed  upon: 

Vocational  Education.  Vocational  education  as  defined  in  the  laws  of 
Massachusetts,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  Indiana,  and  as  provided  for  in 
that  of  New  York,  is  that  form  of  education  whose  controlling  purpose  is  to 
fit  for  useful  and  efficient  service  in  agriculture,  trades,  and  industries,  or  oc¬ 
cupations  connected  with  the  household,  and  which  is  given  to  the  individual 
who  has  already  indicated  an  occupational  aim  in  life,  which  aim  this  particular 
form  of  training  is  designed  to  meet. 

Practical  Arts — Industrial  Arts.  Practical  arts,  or  industrial  arts,  is  a  part 
of  general  education  consisting  of  series  of  activity  experiences  carried  on  thru 
the  medium  of  handwork  (including  manual  training,  shopwork,  drawing, 
school  and  home  gardening,  household  arts)  designed  to  assist  the  individual  to 
an  appreciation  of  the  means  and  methods  by  which  society  accomplishes  its 
work.  In  the  later  stages  of  this  process  (as  the  individual  approaches  ado¬ 
lescence)  this  work  becomes  prevocational  education,  in  that  it  may  serve  to 
assist  the  individual  to  define  a  vocational  purpose  in  life,  by  affording  a  basis 
for  an  intelligent  choice  thru  the  variety  of  experiences  offered. 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  STATE  AID 


3 


There  are  several  important  points  that  should  be  noted  in  con¬ 
nection  with  these  attempts  at  definition : 

1.  It  should  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  reader  that  the  definition 
of  vocational  education  is  a  qualified  definition — “as  defined  in  the  laws” 
of  these  states.  No  member  of  the  conference  probably  would  hold 
that  the  statement,  without  the  qualifications,  is  a  complete  definition  of 
vocational  education. 

2.  There  is  no  implication  that  other  forms  of  vocational  educa¬ 
tion,  or  even  other  kinds  of  school  activity,  are  not  equally  valuable 
both  to  the  state  and  to  the  individual  child.  The  state  simply  selects 
certain  forms  of  education,  and  proposes  to  aid  communities  which  will 
comply  with  certain  prescribed  regulations. 

3.  Emphasis  upon  the  distinction  between  vocational  education 
and  practical  arts  or  manual  training  implies  no  criticism  of  the  latter 
as  such.  The  attitude  of  the  state  administration  toward  all  forms  of 
handwork,  intelligently  carried  on  in  the  schools,  is  entirely  sympathetic 
and  helpful.  Altho  the  two  things  are  distinct,  there  should  be  no 
antagonism  between  them. 

4.  There  are  the  very  best  of  reasons  for  limiting  this  kind  of 
legislation  at  present.  In  the  first  place,  it  may  be  said  that  the  primary 
purpose  is  to  aid  those  types  of  educational  effort  which  will  not  be 
attempted  without  such  aid.  Special  aid  for  commercial  education  may, 
therefore,  be  omitted  on  the  ground  that  it  is  already  fairly  well  estab¬ 
lished.  Second,  the  field  of  vocational  education  is  so  broad  that  it 
would  be  folly  to  attempt  to  cover  it  thoroly  from  the  start.  It  would 
be  impossible  either  to  finance  such  an  undertaking,  or  to  find  men  and 
women  to  direct  it.  After  careful  deliberation  certain  forms  of  work 
have  been  selected  and  a  beginning  made.  The  question  is  not,  there¬ 
fore,  as  to  whether  the  proposals  completely  meet  the  situation,  but  as 
to  whether  they  are  practicable,  and  in  general  likely  to  meet  a  larger 
need  than  others  that  might  have  been  adopted.  Third,  another  reason 
for  the  present  neglect  of  commercial  education  in  this  legislation  is 
found  in  the  decision  to  make  the  beginning  with  training  for  produc¬ 
tive  as  contrasted  with  distributive  employments. 

5.  Finally,  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish  clearly  between  two  types 
of  work  for  women  and  girls  as  provided  for  in  these  laws:  (1)  Trade 
extension  work,  in  which  girls  are  trained  for  increased  efficiency  in 
various  occupations  in  which  they  are  now  employed,  or  into  which 
they  propose  to  enter,  and  by  which  they  expect  to  earn  a  livelihood ; 


4 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION 


and  (2)  Training  in  preparation  for  homemaking  and  motherhood, 
designed  for  girls  and  women  however  employed  at  present. 

Another  one  of  the  difficulties  confronting  the  committee  on  nomen¬ 
clature  was  the  formulation  of  a  satisfactory  definition  of  a  skilled  oc¬ 
cupation.  In  view  of  the  evolution  now  going  on  in  the  industrial  world 
there  are  those  who  insist  that  the  term  “skilled  occupation”  is  fast 
becoming  a  misnomer.  It  was  proposed,  for  the  purpose  of  discussion, 
that  any  occupation  be  regarded  as  a  skilled  occupation  which  meets 
these  three  conditions: 

( 1 )  Provision  of  a  living  wage  for  the  worker. 

(2)  A  content  which  offers  the  possibility  of  differences  in  the 
quality  of  the  work  turned  out. 

(3)  Provision  for  promotion,  by  constituting  one  of  a  series  of 
progressive  steps  in  the  industry  leading  to  something  better. 

STANDARDS  AND  PROCEDURE. 

Another  committee  that  is  engaged  in  an  important  piece  of  work 
is  the  Committee  on  Standards  and  Procedure  in  the  Inspection,  Super¬ 
vision,  and  Approval  of  State  Aided  Vocational  Schools.  This  com¬ 
mittee  presented  a  preliminary  report  and  received  instructions  to  con¬ 
tinue  its  work  and  report  at  a  later  meeting.  The  work  of  this  com¬ 
mittee  involves  a  study  of  the  methods  employed  in  the  various  states 
in  dealing  with  schools,  the  official  relations  maintained  between  state 
and  community,  methods  of  indicating  approval  of  work  undertaken 
by  the  community,  qualifications  demanded  of  pupils  admitted  to  the 
schools,  qualifications  and  certification  of  teachers,  courses  of  study, 
equipment,  school  records,  etc.  When  this  study  has  been  completed  it 
will  be  possible  for  one  to  determine  readily  in  what  respects  there  is 
uniformity  in  the  different  states,  and  in  what  respects  there  is  diver¬ 
gence  in  principle  and  practice;  in  what  respects  uniformity  is  desirable, 
or  undesirable.  A  comparative  study  of  the  practices  in  the  various 
states  in  dealing  with  any  specific  problem  should  prove  of  great  value 
to  the  officials  in  any  state  when  a  question  arises  as  to  the  best  method 
of  procedure. 

One  of  the  sessions  of  the  conference  was  divided  into  two  round¬ 
tables,  one  of  which  discussed  topics  of  especial  interest  to  officials  having 
charge  of  the  administration  of  agricultural  education,  and  the  other 
dealt  with  problems  of  industrial  education.  In  the  former  the  follow- 
'  ing  topics  were  considered,  among  others: 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  STATE  AID 


5 


“Relation  of  schools  of  agriculture  to  other  agencies  interested  in 
agriculture,”  “The  use  of  land  in  connection  with  schools  of  agricul¬ 
ture,”  “Short  winter  courses,”  “High  school  science  and  agriculture,” 
“Courses  in  elementary  agriculture.” 

The  topics  considered  in  the  industrial  education  conference  in¬ 
cluded  the  following:  “The  compulsory  continuation  school,”  “The 
voluntary  continuation  school,”  “The  general  improvement  continuation 
school,”  “The  trade  extension  continuation  school.”  It  seemed  to  be 
difficult  to  reach  a  consensus  of  opinion  as  to  the  proper  field  of  effort 
for  the  continuation  school,  but  for  purposes  of  discussion  it  was  proposed 
that  continuation  school  work  for  the  years  14  to  16  may  legitimately 
include  the  following  lines  of  effort : 

( 1 )  General  improvement ;  courses  intended  to  contribute  to  the 
development  of  general  intelligence,  citizenship,  etc. 

(2)  Trade  extension  work;  when  the  conditions  are  such  that 
this  is  desirable  or  possible. 

(3)  Vocational  training  for  an  occupation  in  which  the  pupil 
may  not  now  be  engaged ;  when  it  is  possible  to  make  the  proposed 
training  sufficiently  intensive  to  accomplish  the  desired  end. 

It  is  not  proposed  that  every  continuation  school  shall  necessarily 
cover  all  three  of  these  lines  of  effort,  but  when  the  conditions  warrant 
it,  all  of  them  are  to  be  regarded  as  legitimate. 

One  session  was  devoted  to  a  discussion  of  the  problems  of  the 
business  of  homemaking,  the  possibilities  of  courses  that  might  be  offered 
in  day  vocational  schools,  continuation  schools,  and  evening  schools,  the 
selection  and  training  of  teachers,  and  kindred  topics. 

PLANS  BASED  ON  STUDY  OF  CONDITIONS. 

Plans  for  vocational  education  in  the  typical  small  community  of 
less  than  two  thousand  inhabitants  served,  as  the  basis  for  discussion  at 
one  interesting  session.  Small  communities  were  classified  into  three 
groups:  (1)  Communities  that  have  a  dominant  industry;  (2)  Com¬ 
munities  that  are  wholly  agricultural;  (3)  Communities  that  are  neither 
entirely  industrial  nor  agricultural,  but  mixed. 

It  was  insisted  that  the  essential  facts  must  be*  known  with  reference 
to  the  industries  of  any  community  before  much  progress  can  be  made 
in  the  development  of  plans  for  vocational  education.  The  futility  of 
spending  large  sums  of  money,  for  example,  in  training  boys  to  be 


6 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION 


machinists  in  a  section  of  the  state  possessing  practically  no  machine- 
shops  ha$  not  always  been  clearly  seen. 

Attention  was  called  to  the  recently  published  “Industrial  Directory 
of  New  York,”  as  a  method  of  getting  at  the  facts  with  reference  to  the 
occupations  carried  on  in  individual  communities.  This  report  was 
prepared  under  the  direction  of  John  Williams,  Commissioner  of  Labor, 
and  published  by  the  New  York  State  Department  of  Labor,  Albany. 
It  is  divided  into  three  parts :  ( 1 )  Description  of  cities  and  villages 
having  a  population  of  1,000  or  more,  with  special  reference  to  features 
of  importance  from  the  standpoint  of  industrial  organization.  (2) 
Tables  showing  conditions  relative  to  population,  agriculture,  banking, 
manufacturing,  factories,  factory  employes,  and  hours  of  labor.  (3) 
Register  of  factories,  listing  the  name,  street  address,  product,  and 
number  of  employes  of  each  of  the  large  factories  in  the  different  com¬ 
munities  of  the  state. 

The  following  statements  were  presented  as  typical  items  of  in¬ 
formation  culled  from  the  report,  and  bearing  on  the  questions  under 
consideration :  Only  about  five  per  cent  of  the  working  people  in  the 
state  of  New  York  are  found  in  communities  of  less  than  2,000  in¬ 
habitants.  There  are  only  42  towns  and  cities  in  the  state  having  a1 
dominant  industry  employing  100  or  more  workers.  There  is  only  one 
small  community  in  New  York  having  woodworking  as  a  dominant 
industry  employing  100  or  more  workers. 

JOINT  RESOLUTION  NO.  5,  NOW  BEFORE  CONGRESS. 

In  discussing  the  topic  of  Federal  grants  for  vocational  education, 
the  conference  passed  unanimously  the  following  resolution: 

Whereas,  The  subject  of  national  aid  for  vocational  education  is  now 
before  Congress  for  consideration,  and 

Whereas,  Said  subject  is  of  the  gravest  importance  to  the  nation  collective¬ 
ly  and  the  large  masses  of  individuals  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and 

Whereas,  The  measure  raises  a  wide  range  of  questions,  both  as  to  the 
scope  of  vocational  education  involved,  and  the  administration  of  the  aid  to  be 
extended  by  the  nation,  and 

Whereas,  It  is  of  vital  importance  to  the  success  of  any  plan  for  such  aid 
that  all  interests  concerned  shall  be  unified  thru  full  knowledge  of  all  facts 
bearing  on  the  problem  in  hand,  and  thru  the  exercise  of  the  highest  wisdom 
obtainable  in  the  formulation  of  a  plan  that  may  commend  itself  to  the  judgment 
of  all  the  people,  and 

Whereas,  This  Council,  composed  of  state  officials  from  thirteen  states  on 
whom  devolve  the  duty  of  dealing  with  the  administration  of  vocational  educa- 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  STATE  AID 


tion,  is  interested  only  in  the  adoption  of  a  plan  that  will  most  assuredly  and 
expeditiously  bring  about  the  establishment  of  a  system  of  education  that  will 
stimulate  our  industrial  life,  and  will  give  to  the  masses  of  our  people  greater 
communal  efficiency  and  a  higher  individual  plane  of  living; 

Therefore,  Be  it  Resolved:  By  this  Council  that  it  heartily  approves  and 
earnestly  urges  the  passage  of  the  Resolution  now  before  Congress,  as  follows: 

Resolved  by  the  House  of  Representatives  and  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  in  Congress  Assembled. 

Section  No.  1.  That  the  President  of  the  United  States  is  hereby  authorized 
to  appoint  a  Commission  of  nine  persons  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  consider  the 
need  and  report  a  plan  no  later  than  December  1st,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as 
possible,  for  national  aid  for  vocational  education. 

Section  No.  2.  That  the  members  of  said  Commission  shall  be  paid  for 
their  actual  traveling  expenses  and  subsistence  while  engaged  by  the  work  of 
said  Commission. 

Section  No.  3.  That  said  Commission  shall  have  authority  to  employ  a 
secretary,  and  to  make  such  investigations  into  local  conditions  in  the  respective 
States  as  may  be  necessary.  The  entire  expense  of  the  Commission  not  to 
exceed  the  sum  of  $25,000. 

Section  No.  4.  That  the  sum  of  $25,000  be,  and  the  same  is,  hereby  appro¬ 
priated  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  said  Commission. 

Before  adjournment  the  members  of  the  Conference  completed 
arrangements  for  a  fourth  meeting  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  annual  convention  of  the  Department  of  Superintendence 
of  the  National  Education  Association,  in  February,  1914. 

PROBLEMS  CONFRONTING  THE  STATE  DEPARTMENTS. 

It  may  be  profitable  to  summarize  the  practical  results  of  the  con¬ 
ferences  which  have  been  already  held  by  stating  the  more  pressing  prob¬ 
lems  which  are  now  confronting  the  officials  in  the  various  states  who 
are  charged  with  the  administration  of  the  laws,  as  the  problems  have 
been  formulated  in  these  discussions. 

Interpretation  of  the  Laws.  As  has  been  already  indicated,  the 
most  immediate  need  is  for  an  understanding  of  the  laws  themselves. 
In  addition  to  the  committee  of  the  conference  which  is  at  work  upon 
an  analysis  of  the  methods  of  procedure  in  the  different  states,  there  is 
a  committee  of  the  National  Society  at  work  upon  a  digest  of  the  lawrs 
of  all  the  states  that  have  thus  far  dealt  with  the  subject  of  vocational 
education. 

Definition  of  Terms.  The  work  of  the  committee  on  nomenclature 
should  contribute  to  the  economy  of  time  in  future  discussions. 

Directing  and  Informing  Public  Opinion.  This  is  one  of  the 


8  VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION 

great  tasks  before  the  representatives  of  the  state  departments.  It  is 
not  now  so  much  a  question  of  arousing  public  opinion,  as  it  is  of 
making  sure  that  the  popular  interest  in  these  matters  is  intelligent  and 
focussed  upon  plans  that  are  well  thought  out  and  programs  that  are 
practicable. 

Selecting,  Training,  and  Certificating  Teachers.  The  urgency  of 
the  need  for  careful  study  of  this  problem  has  long  been  recognized, 
and  substantial  steps  toward  its  solution  have  been  taken  by  the  National 
Society.  At  the  recent  convention  in  Grand  Rapids  a  committee 
appointed  for  the  purpose  presented  a  preliminary  report,  which  is  to 
result  later  in  a  comprehensive  report  on  the  subject,  with  suggestions 
and  recommendations  in  detail. 

Preparation  of  Bulletins.  Any  scheme  of  administration  of  voca¬ 
tional  education,  to  be  effective,  must  involve  the  publication  of  a  large 
amount  of  material  in  the  way  of  explanation  and  interpretation  of  the 
law,  rules  and  regulations  derived  from  the  authority  of  the  law,  prac¬ 
tical  suggestions  to  communities  desiring  help,  outlines  of  courses  of 
study,  and  other  helps.  In  some  of  the  more  important  states  this,  work 
alone  will  soon  assume  proportions  sufficient  to  demand  the  entire  time 
of  an  expert.  At  present  it  constitutes  a  heavy  burden  on  the  depart¬ 
ments  in  all  of  the  states. 

Cooperation  Between  the  States.  The  necessity  for  cooperation  has 
been  recognized  by  the  appointment  of  a  committee,  to  which  reference 
has  been  made,  to  make  a  special  study  of  the  problems. 

These  conferences  are  among  the  most  important  meetings  that  are 
being  held  at  the  present  time.  The  conferees  are  men  who  are  charged 
with  great  responsibility  and  are  certain  to  wield  a  great  influence;  the 
problems  discussed  are  of  vital  and  immediate  importance  to  each  man 
present,  as  well  as  to  countless  individuals  in  the  several  states;  and, 
perhaps  most  significant  of  all,  the  attendance  at  the  conferences  is  small 
enough  to  permit  full  and  free  discussion,  and  the  sessions  are  long 
enough  to  insure  complete  mutual  understanding. 


MEMBERS  OF  CONFERENCE  ON  STATE  LEGISLATION 
FOR  VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION. 


Following  is  a  list  of  names  and  addresses  of  those  invited  to  participate  in 
the  Conference : 

Prosser,  C.  A.,  Secretary,  National  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Industrial  Educa¬ 
tion,  105  East  22nd  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Adams,  Mathew  P.,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Children’s  Aid  Society,  105  E. 
22nd  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Allen,  Chas.  R.,  Agent,  (Industrial  Education)  State  Board  of  Education, 
Boston,  Mass. 

Bawden,  William  T.,  Managing  Editor  Vocational  Education,  Teachers  Col¬ 
lege,  120th  Street  West,  New  York  City. 

Carris,  Lewis  H.,  Asst.  Com.  of  Education,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

Dean,  Arthur  D.,  Chief,  Division  of  Vocational  Schools,  State  Dept,  of  Public 
Schools,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Dennis,  Lindsey  H.,  Asst,  for  Agriculture,  State  Dept.,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Fletcher,  Alfred  P.,  Asst.  Supt.  Public  Schools,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Greathouse,  Chas.  H.,  State  Supt.  Public  Instruction,  Indianapolis,  Ind.  * 
Hawkins,  Layton  S.,  Asst,  for  Agriculture,  Div.  of  Vocational  Schools,  Albany, 
N.  Y. 

Kendall,  Calvin  N.,  State  Com.  of  Education,  Trenton,  N.  J. 

King,  Millard  B.,  Expert  Asst,  for  Industrial  Education,  State  Dept.,  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania. 

O’Leary,  Wesley  A.,  Pratt  Institute,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Rouillion,  Louis,  Director,  Mechanics’  Institute,  New  York  City. 

Snedden,  David,  Commissioner  of  Education,  Boston,  Mass. 

Richards,  Chas.  R.,  Director,  Cooper  Union,  New  York  City. 

Stimson,  Rufus  W.,  Agent,  (Agriculture)  State  Board  of  Educ.,  Boston,  Mass. 
Wilson,  Lewis  A.,  Asst,  for  Industrial  Education,  State  Dept.,  Albany,  N.  Y. 
Brown,  H.  A.,  Deputy  State  Supt.,  in  Charge  of  Agricultural  and  Domestic  and 
and  Mechanic  Arts,  Concord,  N.  H. 

Hine,  Chas.  D.,  Secretary,  State  Board  of  Education,  Hartford,  Conn. 

Townsend,  Theo.,  Secretary,  State  Board  of  Education,  Dover,  Del. 

Blair,  Francis  G.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  Springfield,  Ill. 

Ross,  W.  D.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  Topeka,  Kans. 

Harris,  T.  H.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  Baton  Rouge,  La. 

Hamlett,  Barksdale,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  Frankfort,  Ky. 

Smith,  Payson,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Schools,  Augusta,  Me. 

Stephens,  M.  Bates,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Education,  Annapolis,  Md. 

Wright,  Luther  L.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  Lansing,  Michigan. 

Schulz,  C.  G.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Evans,  Wm.  P.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Schools,  Jefferson  City,  Mo. 

Morrison,  H.  C.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  Concord,  N.  H. 

Finley,  John  H.,  State  Commissioner  of  Education,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Miller,  Frank  W.,  State  Commissioner  of  Public  Instruction,  Columbus,  O. 
Schaeffer,  Nathan  C.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Ranger,  Walter  E.,  Commissioner  of  Public  Schools,  Providence,  R.  I. 

Stone,  Mason  S.,  State  Supt.  of  Education,  Montpelier,  Vt. 


■jp^ 

0 


9 


10 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION 


Cary,  C.  P.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Schools,  Madison,  Wisconsin. 

Small,  R.  O.,  Agent,  State  Board  of  Education,  Boston,  Mass. 

Goodard,  Mr.,  State  Dept,  of  Public  Instruction,  Madison,  Wis. 

Kent,  Raymond  A.,  Secretary,  State  Ed.  Commission,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Hicks,  Warren  E.,  Asst.  Supt.  Industrial  Education,  Madison,  Wis. 

Holton,  Edwin  M.,  Manhattan,  Kansas. 

Emberson,  R.  H.,  State  Supervisor  Rural  Schools,  Columbia,  Mo. 

Whitcher, /A.  D.,  State  Dept.,  Agriculture,  Concord,  N.  H. 

French,  Walter  H.,  Lansing,  Michigan. 

Crawshaw,  Fred  D.,  University  of  Wisconsin,  Madison,  Wis. 

Hill,  David  Spence,  Dir.  Dept,  of  Education  Research,  New  Orleans,  La. 
Condon,  Randall  J.,  Supt.  of  Schools,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Smith,  Z.  M.,  Supervisor  Agriculture,  Purdue  University,  Lafayette,  Ind. 

Jarvis,  C.  D.,  Conn.  Agricultural  College,  Storrs,  Conn. 

Brundage,  A.  J.  State  Supervisor  of  Agriculture,  Storrs,  Conn. 

Eaton,  J.  J.,  Saunders  Trade  School,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 

Wing,  F.  H.,  Supervisor,  Industrial  Education,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Book,  W.  F.,  Deputy  for  Vocational  Education,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Becht,  Dr.  J.  Geo.,  State  Board  of  Education,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Boshart,  Edward  W.,  Director  Industrial  Arts,  60  S.  Third  Avenue,  Mt.  Vernon, 
N.  Y. 

Storm,  Ashley  V.,  College  of  Agriculture,  University  of  Minn.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Nolan,  F.  D.,  College  of  Agriculture,  University  of  Ill.,  Champaign,  Ill. 

Aiton,  Geo.  B.,  State  Board  of  Education,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Goll,  H.  L.  State  Dept.  Public  Instruction,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

Harbout,  S.  A.,  State  Board  of  Education,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

Clarke,  J.  R.,  State  Dept,  of  Public  Instruction,  Supr.  Agri.  Educ.,  Columbus,  O. 
Ivins,  Lester  S.,  State  Board  of  Education,  Columbus,  O. 

Cobb,  M.  A.,  Central  Normal  School,  Mt.  Pleasant,  Michigan. 

Burnham,  Ernest,  Western  Normal  School,  Kalamazoo,  Michigan. 

Turner,  R.  A.,  High  School,  Hillsdale,  Mich. 

McVittie,  Alex.,  Bay  City,  E.  S.,  Mich. 

Bourgeois,  Joseph  R.,  Chairman  Committee  on  Industrial  Education,  Providence, 
R.  I. 

Edwards,  Howard,  Pres.  R.  I.  State  College,  Kingston,  R.  I. 

James,  C.  C.,  Commissioner  Agricultural  Education,  Toronto,  Ont. 

Stoek,  II.  H.,  Dept.  Mining  Engineering,  Univ.  of  Ill.,  Urbana,  Ill. 

Stearnes,  R.  C.,  State  Supt.  of  Public  Instruction,  Richmond,  Va. 

Chandler,  J.  A.  C.,  Supt.  of  Schools,  Richmond,  Va. 

Hoke,  J.  K.,  2nd  Asst.  Supt.  of  Schools,  Richmond,  Va. 

Snyder,  E.  R.,  State  Commissioner  of  Vocational  Educ.  Sacramento,  Calif. 
Straubenmuller,  G.,  Associate  Supt.  Board  of  Education,  New  York  City. 
Edmands,  S.  S.,  Director,  Dept.  Science  and  Tech.,  Pratt  Inst.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Shiels,  Albert,  Director,  Div.  of  Reference  and  Research,  Bd.  of  Ed.,  New  York 
City,  N.  Y. 

Haaren,  John  H.,  Director  Evening  Schools,  Bd.  of  Ed.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Eliff,  J.  D.,  University  of  Missouri,  Columbia,  Mo. 

Sinclair,  Geo.  K.,  MacDonald  College,  Montreal,  Canada. 

Melcher,  George,  Chief  Clerk,  State  Department,  Jefferson  City,  Mo. 


EDITORIAL 


Attention  is  given  in  another  place  to  some  of  the  prob- 
Interpretation  jems  0f  administration  that  are  beginning  to  make  them¬ 
selves  felt  in  certain  states  that  have  set  up  machinery  for 
aiding  communities  in  the  support  of  vocational  education.  One  of 
these  problems,  the  interpretation  of  the  law,  and  its  exposition  to  the 
public,  is  likely  to  prove  no  light  task.  The  following  case  may  be  cited 
as  an  example  of  the  difficulties  that  arise.  A  certain  city  proposes  to 
arrange  continuation  school  classes  for  a  group  of  telegraph  messenger 
boys,  grocery  wagon  boys,  ushers  from  a  theater,  and  bell-boys  from  a 
hotel..  What  subjects  may  be  taught  in  such  classes  and  yet  meet  with 
the  approval  of  the  inspector  as  coming  within  the  meaning  of  “sup¬ 
plementary  to  the  practical  work,  etc.”  of  the  occupations  of  these  boys, 
and  thus  be  eligible  for  state  aid? 

The  clause  in  the  law  relating  to  part-time  or  continuation  schools 
reads  as  follows: 

Instruction  shall  be  given  in  the  trades  and  in  industrial,  agricultural,  and 
homemaking  subjects,  and  shall  be  open  to  pupils  over  fourteen  years  of  age  who 
are  regularly  and  lawfully  employed  during  part  of  the  day  in  any  useful 
employment  or  service,  which  subjects  shall  be  supplementary  to  the  practical 
work  carried  on  in  such  employment  or  service. 

It  would  probably  be  agreed  without  question  that  a  continuation 
school  class  might  be  organized  for  a  group  of  boys  employed  in  a  pot¬ 
tery,  in  which  class  the  subjects  of  instruction  might  properly  include 
the  physics  and  chemistry  related  to  the  mixing,  firing,  and  glazing  of 
clay,  etc. ;  industrial  geography,  dealing  with  the  distribution  of  deposits 
of  clay  of  suitable  working  qualities,  and  other  materials  required  in 
the  industry;  and  so  on.  The  department  of  public  instruction  in  the 
state  in  question  has  ruled,  also,  that  the  community  would  be  justified 
in  adding  a  certain  amount  of  work  intended  to  develop  ideals  of  good 
citizenship,  and  the  class  would  still  be  entitled  to  receive  special  state 
aid  under  the  law.  Similar  examples  might  be  suggested  for  groups 
of  boys,  or  girls,  employed  in  other  industries. 

In  certain  industries  which  might  be  named  it  is  a  com¬ 
paratively  simple  matter  to  suggest  fields  of  related  sub¬ 
ject  matter  that  would  afford  a  proper  basis  for  the  kind 
of  school  work  that  the  law  evidently  contemplates.  But 
when  it  comes  to  a  consideration  of  the  occupation  of  driving  a  grocer’s 


Instruction 
Supplemen¬ 
tary  to  an 
Unskilled 
Occupation 


11 


12 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION 


delivery  wagon  it  is  not  so  easy  to  plan  industrial  subjects  of  instruction 
that  shall  be  “supplementary  to  the  practical  work  carried  on  in  such 
employment.”  The  technical  and  intellectual  content  of  such  an  occupa¬ 
tion  is  so  meager  that  it  is  difficult  to  make  real  (not  adventitious)  con¬ 
nection  with  organized  knowledge.  It  may  or  may  not  be  a  good  thing 
for  a  boy  to  spend  some  time  in  one  of  the  occupations  mentioned.  It 
may  or  may  not  be  a  good  thing  to  attempt  to  plan  courses  of  study  that 
shall  stimulate  a  boy  to  improve  himself  as  a  worker  in  such  occupation. 
It  may  or  may  not  be  a  good  thing  to  try  to  make  a  boy  proficient  in  one 
occupation  while  he  is  actually  at  work  in  another.  But,  whatever  the 
decisions  reached  on  these  points,  an  examination  of  the  situation  seems 
to  indicate  that  there  is  practically  nothing  that  can  be  offered  in  the 
case  referred  to  that  would  be  entitled  to  special  state  aid  under  the  law. 
Consider  the  following  points: 

1.  It  is  necessary  in  the  interpretation  and  exposition  of  the  law 
to  be  guided  by  the  specific  intent  and  purpose  of  the  law,  rather  than  by 
a  consideration  of  the  general  educational  or  social  desirability  of  any 
given  line  of  work  which  might  be  proposed. 

2.  The  law  provides  for  certain  kinds  of  work.  By  omitting  cer¬ 
tain  other  froms  of  vocational  education  (commercial  education,  for 
example)  the  law  seems  so  much  the  more  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  it 
has  made  a  selection  of  lines  of  work  to  be  fostered. 

3.  The  principle  seems  to  be  clearly  established  of  training  for 
increased  efficiency  of  individuals  in  the  callings  in  which  they  are  em¬ 
ployed.  However  unsatisfying  or  displeasing  it  may  be,  the  situation 
seems  to  demand  the  interpretation  that  the  law  does  not  contemplate 
the  training  for  increased  efficiency  in  one  calling  of  individuals  who  are 
actually  employed  in  another. 

4.  It  is  probably  well  that  the  law  does  not  at  present,  provide  for 
the  training  for  increased  efficiency  in  one  calling  of  individuals  who  are 
employed  in  another,  for  the  reason  that  such  a  policy  would  tremend¬ 
ously  increase  the  complexity  of  the  problem  and  extend  unduly  the 
scope  of  the  activities  of  the  state  department  of  education.  It  is  much 
more  reasonable  to  proceed  on  the  simpler  basis  at  first,  and  to  take  up 
the  greater  and  more  complex  task  after  the  necessary  skill  and  knowl¬ 
edge  have  been  acquired  and  the  necessary  administrative  machinery  set 
up  and  tested.  It  would  seem  that  after  some  understanding  of  the 
problems  of,  and  some  facility  in  the  administration  of,  continuation 
school  training  in  what  might  be  called  longitudinal  straight  lines  of 


ADMINISTRATION  OF  STATE  AID 


13 


effort  had  been  gained,  there  would  be  time  enough  to  undertake  the 
solution  of  the  problems  of  “cross  education.” 

5.  Finally,  the  instruction  that  would  be  suitable  for  the  14  to 
16  years  old  boys  engaged  in  the  miscellaneous  employments  in  the  case 
referred  to  must  be  classified  as  prevocational  work.  It  is,  then,  simply 
a  question  as  to  whether  the  law-  provides  state  aid  for  prevocational 
work,  or  whether  it  assumes  that  for  the  present  at  least  this  must  be 
regarded  as  the  legitimate  responsibility  of  the  existing  school  system. 

It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  the  intensive  study  of  some  of  these 
administrative  problems,  compelled  by  the  very  nature  of  the  new  wTork, 
will  lead  to  intelligent  revision  and  practical  amendment  of  the  laws. 

— William  T.  Bawden. 


✓ 


\ 


VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION 

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BROAD  FIELD  INDICATED  BY  ITS  TITLE. 

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